I recently changed my vitamin to avoid toxic ingredients. I had been taking the Whole Foods Multivitamin for women, but have switched to a higher quality vitamin. There are a lot of ingredients that should be avoided in vitamins. The vitamin I take now is from Ulta Life, which is a site that requires a referral from a professional holistic health care provider. Elizabeth Wallish (Dare2CareNow.com), an Integrative Nutrition Consultant, recommended to me the multivitamin from MegaFoodVitamins (Megafoods.com)
Magnesium Sterate is a common ingredient in many vitamins. Essentially this is chalk and it is useless to the body but is included to help the vitamin pass through the body more easily. Magnesium Sterate contains hydrogenated oil and can contain pesticides. According to Mercola, it is associated with decreasing natural killer cells that are needed in the immune system. Although vitamins are in no way a substitute for getting nutrients from food, if taken, they should be free of toxins.
Sodium selenite/selenate is an inorganic for of selenium that is toxic (see the studies on greenmedinfo.com). Selenium as a natural nutrient from plants is essential and also prevents cancer and heart disease, but due to the selenium depletion in the soil, different forms of artificial selenium are added to vitamins. Natural ways to get selenium is fresh produce, brazil nuts, and mustard seeds. Safer forms of selenium in vitamins are chelated or yeast-grown selenium.
Many vitamin supplements contain artificial ingredients that the EPA has prohibited in tap water (at levels above 50 parts per billion.) Titanium Dioxide is a heavy metal compound and coloring agent. Check out the website safecosmetics.org that talks about titanium dioxide and other heavy metals such as chromium, mercury, and lead that are found in cosmetics, nail polish, sunscreen and the harm they can cause including immune toxicity and cancer.
Elizabeth Wallish also gave me a list of other elements to avoid in vitamins: Methyl parabens, microcrystalline cellulose, talcum powder, polyethylene glycol, sodium metabisulfite, maltodextrin, resins, and polysorbate 80. Also on her list are things to avoid in nutritional products as a tablet: silicon dioxide, natural flavors (could include MSG), methacrylic copolymer, triethyl citrate, corn starch, hydroxypropl cellulose, red ferric oxide (orange shade), diacalcium phosphate, and pharmaceutical glaze. Also, avoid caramel coloring.
Another thing to look out for is irradiated food. These foods include wheat, flour, meats, eggs, spices and produce. Irradiation is done with cobalt 60, cesium 137 ( used rarely) or x rays--150 million times more radiation than a standard chest x-ray, according to Paul Chek, Holistic Health Practitioner (the C.H.E.K. Institute.)
Paul Chek writes in his book How to Eat, Move and be Healthy, "A wide range of independent studies prior to 1986 clearly identified mutagenic and carcinogenic radiolytic products in irradiated food, and confirmed evidence of genetic toxicity in tests on irradiated food. Studies in the 1970's run by India's Institute of Nutrition reported that feeding freshly radiated wheat to monkeys, rats, mice and to a small group of malnourished children induced gross chromosomal abnormalities in blood or bone marrow cells and mutational damage in the rodents. Food irradiation results in major micronutrient losses, particularly vitamins A,C,E and the B complex group."
How To Eat, Move and be Healthy also states "the FDA approved irradiation based on five studies selected from 441 studies published prior to the early 1980s. To this day, these early studies remain the basis for their claims that irradiation is safe." A Center for Disease poll of 11,000 people showed that only half were comfortable eating irradiated food. The food will be labeled irradiated in the ingredients, but if the food is not entirely irradiated there is not regulation requiring labeling. The radiation kills dangerous bacteria, but there are safer ways being developed such as high pressure and ozone treatment.
Chek also points out that "the US Department of Energy has aggressively promoted food irradiation for decades. The DOE sees food irradiation as a way of reducing disposal costs of spent military and civilian nuclear fuel by providing a commercial market for caesium nuclear wastes." Cs-137 is "the remains of spent military nuclear fuel." Both Co60 and CS137 were leaked in Three Mile Island fiasco, the Chernobyl disaster and the more recent Fukushima episode.
Purefood.org states "the origin of cobalt-60 and cesium-137 is rarely mentioned in glowing reports of irradiation's benefits: cesium-137 is a radioactive waste left in huge quantities from nuclear weapons programs, and cobalt-60 is manufactured in nuclear reactors. Cesium-137 is extremely hazardous, deadly for 300 years, water-soluble and very expensive to store. The FDA's Jim Greene said in 1986 that using cesium-137 for irradiation, 'could substantially reduce the cost of disposing of nuclear waste.'(6) In 1983 the Energy Dept. told the House Armed Services Committee, 'The utilization of these radioactive materials simply reduces our waste handling problem. we get some of these very hot elements like cesium and strontium out of the waste.'"(7)
Mercola's website (mercola.com), posts study upon study on irradiation--some of the tests on animals link dangers such as cancer , reproductive dysfunctions, and liver damage due to irradiation.
Thanks, I think I'll stick to organic foods, no nuclear waste for me, please....another toxic element to avoid is the fluoride in drinking water. More on that in later posts.
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Bottled Water vs. Tap Water
I gave up bottled water a few months ago after watching the documentary Tapped. I had already known about the BPAs (Bisphenol A)* and phthalates in the bottled water that are leached from the plastic. But until I saw the film, I was not aware of the obscenely grotesque amount of plastic bottles going into landfills and on beaches around the world. There are now large parts of oceans that are literally liquid plastic. Plastic moves up the food chain, and we are ingesting minute bits of plastic from our seafood.
The visuals of all those bottles in the film made me really conscious about recycling plastic bottles whenever possible. I made sure to buy a recycling can for the gym where I work. Every time I see plastic bottles in the trash I am painfully reminded of the vast amount that are thrown away, and the fact that most states don't have a refundable deposit law for plastic bottles--the 10 states that do have a very high recycling rate, but the bottle companies don't want to pay out that money to consumers so they don't favor these laws. For more information on bottle bills check out Bottlebill.org.
The pollution caused by making the bottles is toxic to nearby residents, causing many health problems. Producing a myriad of bottles deepens our reliance on the oil used to make the plastic as 1.5millions barrels of oil are used annually for plastic bottles.
Much of the bottled water sold is simply tap water. Tap water in general contains trace amounts of DBPs (disinfectant byproducts) which are linked to cancer. Other things found in tap water are nitrates, caffeine, Tylenol, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, arsenic and bacteria. But sometimes bottled water is tap water sold straight back to the consumer, why not drink out of a drinking fountain rather than buy a bottle of Dasani?
Volvic, Evian, Gerolsteiner, and Fuji are higher quality waters, but research is showing that even very small amount of BPAs and phthalates leached from the plastic affect our hormones, which can lead to cancer. Drinking out of a water bottle that has been sitting in the heat is said to be dangerous. In summer, these bottles are transported in trucks that are not air conditioned and are left on loading docks outside at times, so, depending on the climate zone, there is not necessarily a metric for knowing if the bottles have been exposed to heat.
Even more detrimental to drinking toxins is showering or bathing in them due to absorption through the skin. One long shower or bath can lead to the absorption of a weeks worth of toxins from drinking water. Aside from reverse osmosis, granular carbon filters (rather than carbon block) are the best. Brita is really not very effective.
I have not gone as far as some people by drinking fresh spring water, which is usually free. (Findaspring.com), but I do have drink filtered water from the gym where I work. At home I have a carbon block filter for my shower, but I am thinking about buying a better one for my shower and kitchen. Some people go as far as bathing/showering very quickly as to absorb as few toxins as possible.
At the gym we have a Kangen water machine that runs the water over a platinum plate to ionize it. This gives the water an alkaline antioxidant property. The water is said to be very healing as it raises the ph in the body. This is a very high quality machine, unlike others of its kind. Many immitators' machines break down faster and some eventually can leak titanium which is toxic. So for people interested alkaline water, I highly recommend contacting a Kangen dealer for a presentation. (I am in no way affiliated with Kangen.)
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
*Tip of the day: Most canned food comes in cans that leach BPA--try Eden's brand at Whole Foods for non BPA containing cans. Cans with BPA are banned in Canada. (Canned food used to come in tinned metal, but are now usually steel or aluminum with a protective coating inside.)
The visuals of all those bottles in the film made me really conscious about recycling plastic bottles whenever possible. I made sure to buy a recycling can for the gym where I work. Every time I see plastic bottles in the trash I am painfully reminded of the vast amount that are thrown away, and the fact that most states don't have a refundable deposit law for plastic bottles--the 10 states that do have a very high recycling rate, but the bottle companies don't want to pay out that money to consumers so they don't favor these laws. For more information on bottle bills check out Bottlebill.org.
The pollution caused by making the bottles is toxic to nearby residents, causing many health problems. Producing a myriad of bottles deepens our reliance on the oil used to make the plastic as 1.5millions barrels of oil are used annually for plastic bottles.
Much of the bottled water sold is simply tap water. Tap water in general contains trace amounts of DBPs (disinfectant byproducts) which are linked to cancer. Other things found in tap water are nitrates, caffeine, Tylenol, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, arsenic and bacteria. But sometimes bottled water is tap water sold straight back to the consumer, why not drink out of a drinking fountain rather than buy a bottle of Dasani?
Volvic, Evian, Gerolsteiner, and Fuji are higher quality waters, but research is showing that even very small amount of BPAs and phthalates leached from the plastic affect our hormones, which can lead to cancer. Drinking out of a water bottle that has been sitting in the heat is said to be dangerous. In summer, these bottles are transported in trucks that are not air conditioned and are left on loading docks outside at times, so, depending on the climate zone, there is not necessarily a metric for knowing if the bottles have been exposed to heat.
Even more detrimental to drinking toxins is showering or bathing in them due to absorption through the skin. One long shower or bath can lead to the absorption of a weeks worth of toxins from drinking water. Aside from reverse osmosis, granular carbon filters (rather than carbon block) are the best. Brita is really not very effective.
I have not gone as far as some people by drinking fresh spring water, which is usually free. (Findaspring.com), but I do have drink filtered water from the gym where I work. At home I have a carbon block filter for my shower, but I am thinking about buying a better one for my shower and kitchen. Some people go as far as bathing/showering very quickly as to absorb as few toxins as possible.
At the gym we have a Kangen water machine that runs the water over a platinum plate to ionize it. This gives the water an alkaline antioxidant property. The water is said to be very healing as it raises the ph in the body. This is a very high quality machine, unlike others of its kind. Many immitators' machines break down faster and some eventually can leak titanium which is toxic. So for people interested alkaline water, I highly recommend contacting a Kangen dealer for a presentation. (I am in no way affiliated with Kangen.)
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
*Tip of the day: Most canned food comes in cans that leach BPA--try Eden's brand at Whole Foods for non BPA containing cans. Cans with BPA are banned in Canada. (Canned food used to come in tinned metal, but are now usually steel or aluminum with a protective coating inside.)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Cellphone Usage
I recently bought a BlocSock for my cellphone. It is a metalic-lined cloth that I can slip in my back pocket to block the radiation when I carry my phone. It is also used when talking to block radiation between the phone and head although I usually put my phone on speaker. I also bought a great headset from the EMF Safety Superstore (lessemf.com) called the Airtube headset. Unlike many other headphones, radiation cannot travel up the wire and go straight to the brain through the ear. There is also a cellphone cover called Pong that can be used on iphones.
Brain cancer caused by cell phones has not been sufficiently addressed by the mass media--now cellphone use is much higher than it was even a few years ago, when 'heavy use" meant 2 hours a month. Studies indicate that 10 years of use doubles the risk of brain cancer, especially on the side of the head that is placed up against the phone. Cellphone use is linked to immune deficiency, neurological disorders, and childhood cancers like leukemia.
Lloyd Morgan, B.Sc., member of the International EMF Collaborative and Senior Fellow of Environmental Health Trust, wrote the report "Cellphones and Brain Tumors."
"What we have discovered indicates there is going to be one hell of a brain tumor pandemic unless people are warned and encouraged to change current cell phone use behaviors.
I read on Mercola.com that Verizon and Sprint carry 28times less radiation than other carriers. Nonetheless, there are no safe cell phones, although the older 900MHz phones do not constantly emit radiation. Modern phones emit radiation even when not in use. Children should not use cell phones, and landlines are preferable for everyone.
Standing in an area that gets better reception while using a cell phone is safer, because the phone doesn't have to work as hard and emits less radiation. The phone should never be placed closer than six inches to the body or worn on the belt.
I haven't gone as far as buying an EMF meter in order to detect how much radiation is being put off by my phone, but people are using these devices to measure the radiation in their homes as well. I always put my phone on speaker when I don't have my headset with me, use my BlocSock when keeping my phone in my pocket, and turn my phone off at night. I am considering going back to a land line eventually.
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
Brain cancer caused by cell phones has not been sufficiently addressed by the mass media--now cellphone use is much higher than it was even a few years ago, when 'heavy use" meant 2 hours a month. Studies indicate that 10 years of use doubles the risk of brain cancer, especially on the side of the head that is placed up against the phone. Cellphone use is linked to immune deficiency, neurological disorders, and childhood cancers like leukemia.
Lloyd Morgan, B.Sc., member of the International EMF Collaborative and Senior Fellow of Environmental Health Trust, wrote the report "Cellphones and Brain Tumors."
"What we have discovered indicates there is going to be one hell of a brain tumor pandemic unless people are warned and encouraged to change current cell phone use behaviors.
Governments should not soft-peddle this critical public health issue but instead rapidly educate citizens on the risks. People should hear the message clearly that cell phones should be kept away from one's head and body at all times."San Francisco has passed a law that requires cell phones to be labeled with the amount of radiation they emit. France, Germany and India have issued recommendations for people to limit exposure to electromagnetic fields including cell phones.
I read on Mercola.com that Verizon and Sprint carry 28times less radiation than other carriers. Nonetheless, there are no safe cell phones, although the older 900MHz phones do not constantly emit radiation. Modern phones emit radiation even when not in use. Children should not use cell phones, and landlines are preferable for everyone.
Standing in an area that gets better reception while using a cell phone is safer, because the phone doesn't have to work as hard and emits less radiation. The phone should never be placed closer than six inches to the body or worn on the belt.
I haven't gone as far as buying an EMF meter in order to detect how much radiation is being put off by my phone, but people are using these devices to measure the radiation in their homes as well. I always put my phone on speaker when I don't have my headset with me, use my BlocSock when keeping my phone in my pocket, and turn my phone off at night. I am considering going back to a land line eventually.
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)
A friend recently asked me what the O stands for in GMOs (Geneticlly Modified Organisms). Most people are aware of the issue of GMOs contaminating other crops, in fact hundreds of thousands of members of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association are suing Monsanto in order to prevent their farms from being contaminated by GMO seeds. About 75% of the items from a regular grocery store have GMO ingredients. Becasue GMO ingredients do not have to be labeled, the only way to know food does not contain them is to buy organic.
Crops that have GMO plants are corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, tobacco, soy and cotton, some varities of zucchini, crookneck squash and Hawaiian papaya. Oils that are GMO include soybean, corn, canola, and cottonseed. There are GMO meats that are not yet out on the market. Studies suggest that GMOs are allergenic, toxic, carcinogenic, anit-nutritional, raise infant mortality, cause stunted growth and accelerated again as well as infertility.
The idea is that GMO sweet potato and rice could be resistant to pests and therefore help malnutrition in Africa and Asia. However, GMOs are linked to a decrease in crop yields, and cost farmers more, because the seeds die every year. This is very problematic in third world counties, where poor farmers remain in debt every year because of that. (Heirloom seeds are available on line in the U.S., and at a few farm stores around the county, but not readily available in poor countries.) There has been no reduction in pesticide use in the U.S., Roundup is used on 80% of GM crops, and wastes from GM corn are killing aquatic insects.
Today I received an email from Food Democracy Now! with a petition to ban the sale of Monsanto's GMO sweet corn to national grocery stores like Wal Mart, Kroger and Safeway. I sifted through their information and came up with the following stats:
As of 2010 more than 365 million acres were planted around the world with GMO seeds. The United States has more than 165 million acres of GMO crops, which are mostly "RoundupReady" crops, which means the plants are resistant to Roundup. GMOs also produce their own insecticide. About 90% of all GMO seeds are produced by Monsanto, and these plants are usually fed to animals.
Now Monsanto wants to bring this GMO sweet corn to food chains for human consumption.
Studies from the International Journal of Biological Sciences directly link GMOs to organ damage in rats. Monsanto conducted it's own crude 90 day study finding the corn safe. Gilles-Eric Seralini, who conducted the IJBS research, said, "Our study contradicts Monsanto conclusions...This is a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health. This is the major conclusion revealed by our work, the only careful reanlysis of Monsanto crude statistical data."
Dr. Don Huber, a scientist who has studied plant disease for 50 years, spent 35 years at Purdue University as Professor Emeritus of plant pathology, and coordinates the "Emergent Diseases and Pathogens Committee" as part of the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System under Homeland Security has also has found disturbing effects caused by GMOs. They are associated with a sharp rise in animal infertility and micronutrient soil deficiency.
A Canadian study (The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre, Quebec) shows that 93% of pregnant women tested were found to have a GMO toxin designed to kill insects in their blood. The toxins came from processed foods and eating livestock that eat GMO crops. Monsanto falsely claims that these toxins would be dissolved in the animal's gut. But they are passed along to humans that eat them, and these toxins are found in most people's blood.
GMOs contain Bt (bacillus thuringiensis), a bacteria used in pesticides since the 1920s (now under trade names such as Dipel and Thuricide.) These pesticides are implanted using GM techniques into corn and other crops. The spores produced by the bacteria act as a pesticide. The toxin found in the study was CryAb1, which is extracted from the bacteria. Some studies show that this toxin can trigger an immune response and weaken the immune system.
Bts have been linked to the decline of Monarch butterflies and deaths of bees. This bacteria is said to be safe, occurring naturally in the guts of caterpillars, but this bacteria is closely related to anthrax. Many insects that are supposed to be targeted by the pesticide have already developed a resistance to this pesticide.
Not every country's government agrees with the "safety" of GMOs. The following information is taken directly from purezing.com, a good resource for health.
Crops that have GMO plants are corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, tobacco, soy and cotton, some varities of zucchini, crookneck squash and Hawaiian papaya. Oils that are GMO include soybean, corn, canola, and cottonseed. There are GMO meats that are not yet out on the market. Studies suggest that GMOs are allergenic, toxic, carcinogenic, anit-nutritional, raise infant mortality, cause stunted growth and accelerated again as well as infertility.
The idea is that GMO sweet potato and rice could be resistant to pests and therefore help malnutrition in Africa and Asia. However, GMOs are linked to a decrease in crop yields, and cost farmers more, because the seeds die every year. This is very problematic in third world counties, where poor farmers remain in debt every year because of that. (Heirloom seeds are available on line in the U.S., and at a few farm stores around the county, but not readily available in poor countries.) There has been no reduction in pesticide use in the U.S., Roundup is used on 80% of GM crops, and wastes from GM corn are killing aquatic insects.
Today I received an email from Food Democracy Now! with a petition to ban the sale of Monsanto's GMO sweet corn to national grocery stores like Wal Mart, Kroger and Safeway. I sifted through their information and came up with the following stats:
As of 2010 more than 365 million acres were planted around the world with GMO seeds. The United States has more than 165 million acres of GMO crops, which are mostly "RoundupReady" crops, which means the plants are resistant to Roundup. GMOs also produce their own insecticide. About 90% of all GMO seeds are produced by Monsanto, and these plants are usually fed to animals.
Now Monsanto wants to bring this GMO sweet corn to food chains for human consumption.
Studies from the International Journal of Biological Sciences directly link GMOs to organ damage in rats. Monsanto conducted it's own crude 90 day study finding the corn safe. Gilles-Eric Seralini, who conducted the IJBS research, said, "Our study contradicts Monsanto conclusions...This is a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health. This is the major conclusion revealed by our work, the only careful reanlysis of Monsanto crude statistical data."
Dr. Don Huber, a scientist who has studied plant disease for 50 years, spent 35 years at Purdue University as Professor Emeritus of plant pathology, and coordinates the "Emergent Diseases and Pathogens Committee" as part of the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System under Homeland Security has also has found disturbing effects caused by GMOs. They are associated with a sharp rise in animal infertility and micronutrient soil deficiency.
A Canadian study (The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre, Quebec) shows that 93% of pregnant women tested were found to have a GMO toxin designed to kill insects in their blood. The toxins came from processed foods and eating livestock that eat GMO crops. Monsanto falsely claims that these toxins would be dissolved in the animal's gut. But they are passed along to humans that eat them, and these toxins are found in most people's blood.
GMOs contain Bt (bacillus thuringiensis), a bacteria used in pesticides since the 1920s (now under trade names such as Dipel and Thuricide.) These pesticides are implanted using GM techniques into corn and other crops. The spores produced by the bacteria act as a pesticide. The toxin found in the study was CryAb1, which is extracted from the bacteria. Some studies show that this toxin can trigger an immune response and weaken the immune system.
Bts have been linked to the decline of Monarch butterflies and deaths of bees. This bacteria is said to be safe, occurring naturally in the guts of caterpillars, but this bacteria is closely related to anthrax. Many insects that are supposed to be targeted by the pesticide have already developed a resistance to this pesticide.
Not every country's government agrees with the "safety" of GMOs. The following information is taken directly from purezing.com, a good resource for health.
"The following countries have banned [Hungary also just banned them] or restricted the import, distribution, sale, utilization, field trials and commercial planting of GMO’s:
- Africa: Algeria, Egypt
- Asia: Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Japan, Philippines
- Europe: The European Union, Norway, Austria, Germany United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Luxembourg, Portugal
- Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay
- Middle East: Saudi Arabia
- North America: Maryland has banned GE (genetically engineered) fish and North Dakota and Montana have filed bans on GE wheat. The Municipalities of Burlington, Vermont (declared a moratorium on GE food), Boulder, Colorado (bans on GE crops) and the City and County of San Francisco (urged the federal government to ban GE food) are the only towns or states to take some sort of stand against plants, animals, foods, crops and body products that are, or contain Genetically Modified Organisms.NOTE: The U.S. government, and the FDA do not require anything Genetically Modified to be identified on ingredient lists. Genetically Modified foods and products are in widespread use and distribution throughout the U.S.
- Pacific: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand
Percentage of crops that are Genetically Modified in the U.S.:
- Soy (85%)
- Cotton (Cottonseed) (76%)
- Canola (75%)
- Corn (40%)
- Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%)
- Zucchini and Yellow Squash (small amount)
- Quest brand tobacco (100%) "
There will be more posts on GMOs that include the shutdown of "whistle blowers" and other political reasons why the U.S. is so slow to reject these crops.
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Adrenal Fatigue and Estrogen Dominance
As I mentioned in my earlier blog, Paul Check is a Holistic Health Practitioner and trainer who founded the C.H.E.K. Institute in California for advanced trainers and holistic health coaches. He wrote How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy, and I recommend his website and blog. (Paulcheksblog.com and Chekinstitute.com)
I came to know about Paul Chek training as I began working in a private, personal training gym in Chicago. The operation primarily employs C.H.E.K. certified trainers. For the most part the facility operates under the C.H.E.K. philosophy, which entails his method of exercise, nutrition and holistic health. This includes exercise based on natural movements such as bending, lunging and squatting, as well as organic eating, and most of the trainers buy their food directly from farms, including raw milk. (I will talk about the pros and cons of raw milk in a later post.)
Last year I met Kristie Yaakoby, a certified C.H.E.K. trainer and C.H.E.K. Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist who happened to be at the gym. Kristie had purchased all the equipment for the workout room and was stopping by to look at it, as she was engaged in moving to Michigan to open her own gym and farm. (Pictures of her gym and farm can be seen on her website, www.Balancemethods.com)
As I shared in the last blog, I mentioned to Kristie that I was chronically tired. Kristie told me that she would not be surprised if I was estrogen dominant and had adrenal fatigue. I was not familiar with these terms, as I had not heard them after years on telling my Western medicine doctors that I was tired. A saliva test Kristie gave me revealed that indeed I had very low levels of progesterone causing an imbalance with the estrogen, as well as Adrenal Fatigue. I told this to my Western medicine doctor who recommended that I follow Kristie's protocol.
The protocol is detailed and extensive, but well worth it: I now began to eat all organic food (before I was eating some organic food) and I am able to get really good quality filtered water from the gym (the filter is about $300), and I am thinking about buying a good water filter for my apartment. My home Brita filter is in no way as comprehensive as a better filter--it's just not that effective. Actually Kangen water is available at the gym. Kangen water, which is alkaline, is used in hospitals in Japan, and I will talk about this in a later blog.
I put a water filter on my shower head as the toxins absorbed in one shower equates to about a weeks worth of drinking it. The City of Chicago, where I live, sends out an annual brochure about it's water quality, listing trace amount of toxins present in the water--but, in general, many cities can have water containing not just chlorine, but the more dangerous disinfectant byproducts, which are carcinogenic, as well as heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals.
Obviously eating all organic food is indeed more expensive, and I am easily tempted to shop at Whole Foods, located right across the street from the gym, and also right across the street from my apartment elsewhere in the city, rather than make the trip to Trader Joe's to save money. But at this point, I am beginning to shop at a Farmer's Market, using Whole Foods only as a supplement in order to minimize costs. I am going to track my expenses and hopefully come up with a relatively cost effective way to shop, and post it, since I have run into several people who have told me that they don't buy organic because of the expense.
I also avoid eating GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). GMOs are so ubiquitous that Whole Foods in the Chicago Loop said they use GMO canola oil in their deli--according to them all canola oil is from GMO sources.* I will talk about GMOs in another forum, but they have been banned in some other countries, and there is some research linking them to various kinds of diseases.
Another complicity in my protocol is that I also took a blood test for food sensitivities. (The MRT--Mediated Relief Food Sensitivity test) Food sensitivities are different from food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies happen in the tissue. For example, swelling from a bee sting or a rash from strawberries is a reaction in the tissues. Food intolerance occurs in the gut. Gluten or lactose intolerance are examples. Food sensitivities occur in the blood and trigger an immune response and inflammation.
Not rotating foods can lead to food sensitivities, and I have avoided many common foods for six months, and I can now re-introduce them back into my diet one-by-one: Tomatoes, onions, carrots, and a host of others that reacted in my blood. Since I am on a protocol for exhaustion caused by the Adrenal Fatigue and Estrogen Dominance, it is essential for me to avoid these foods that still cause me an immune response.
The protocol includes bio identical progesterone. Before starting the progesterone, I would sleep 10-12 hours or more and wake up feeling "beat-up," aching like I had been kicked all over. This fatigue was occurring on and off again for years. Eventually, I scaled back my life, my schedule, and chose jobs for which I did not have to get up in the morning. My adrenal fatigue had progressed so far that I was no longer even making enough cortisol to wake me up early, and I "didn't do" mornings.
The estrogen dominance was making the Adrenal Fatigue worse and exhausting me as well. (These two conditinos are often linked.) The other two bio identicals in my protocol are Pregnenolone (the "mother" hormone needed to produce other hormones) and a very small dose of DHEA. I have experienced no negative side effects from any of the bio identicals, and of course, these are natural so I don't have to worry about them causing cancer.
Aside from my very specific organic diet, dealing with the food sensitivities, there was an another test I took that has helped me immensely. I took the Metabolic Typing test, which revealed that I needed a certain amount of protein and fat in my diet, as well as carbs from vegetables. Depending on which type a person is (protein, carb, or mixed type) it is essential to balance the ratio of protein, carbs, and fats. In my case, I was so hungry I was eating all day long, I could not get full--until I started eating for my type. When I snack I also stick to this appropriate ratio for my Protein Type. I will do a whole post on Metabolic Typing.
I took Healthexcel's Metabolic Typing Test online as recommended by Kristie, and then received a whole supplemental protocol from Kristie through Ultra Life, Inc.--this company, where I get my vitamins and glandulars, can only be utilized via a holistic/health professional. But aside from the bio identicals and glandulars, I take and multivitamin from Ultra Life--very important to get a high quality one--I will not buy the one's at Whole Foods--there will be list of ingredients to avoid in vitamins in a future blog. I take Glutathione from MaxGL for removing heavy metals, and a pro biotic from Ultra Life.
All in all, although this is a complex protocol based on several tests, I have seen great results. I am now sleeping 10 hours a night (down from 10-12 or more), and still have several more months on the protocol, so I expect to have even more energy then.
A Votre Sante (Here's to your health), Alix
*Tip of the day: Whole Foods sells a great house brand ruffled potato chip--and they are non GMO.
I came to know about Paul Chek training as I began working in a private, personal training gym in Chicago. The operation primarily employs C.H.E.K. certified trainers. For the most part the facility operates under the C.H.E.K. philosophy, which entails his method of exercise, nutrition and holistic health. This includes exercise based on natural movements such as bending, lunging and squatting, as well as organic eating, and most of the trainers buy their food directly from farms, including raw milk. (I will talk about the pros and cons of raw milk in a later post.)
Last year I met Kristie Yaakoby, a certified C.H.E.K. trainer and C.H.E.K. Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist who happened to be at the gym. Kristie had purchased all the equipment for the workout room and was stopping by to look at it, as she was engaged in moving to Michigan to open her own gym and farm. (Pictures of her gym and farm can be seen on her website, www.Balancemethods.com)
As I shared in the last blog, I mentioned to Kristie that I was chronically tired. Kristie told me that she would not be surprised if I was estrogen dominant and had adrenal fatigue. I was not familiar with these terms, as I had not heard them after years on telling my Western medicine doctors that I was tired. A saliva test Kristie gave me revealed that indeed I had very low levels of progesterone causing an imbalance with the estrogen, as well as Adrenal Fatigue. I told this to my Western medicine doctor who recommended that I follow Kristie's protocol.
The protocol is detailed and extensive, but well worth it: I now began to eat all organic food (before I was eating some organic food) and I am able to get really good quality filtered water from the gym (the filter is about $300), and I am thinking about buying a good water filter for my apartment. My home Brita filter is in no way as comprehensive as a better filter--it's just not that effective. Actually Kangen water is available at the gym. Kangen water, which is alkaline, is used in hospitals in Japan, and I will talk about this in a later blog.
I put a water filter on my shower head as the toxins absorbed in one shower equates to about a weeks worth of drinking it. The City of Chicago, where I live, sends out an annual brochure about it's water quality, listing trace amount of toxins present in the water--but, in general, many cities can have water containing not just chlorine, but the more dangerous disinfectant byproducts, which are carcinogenic, as well as heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals.
Obviously eating all organic food is indeed more expensive, and I am easily tempted to shop at Whole Foods, located right across the street from the gym, and also right across the street from my apartment elsewhere in the city, rather than make the trip to Trader Joe's to save money. But at this point, I am beginning to shop at a Farmer's Market, using Whole Foods only as a supplement in order to minimize costs. I am going to track my expenses and hopefully come up with a relatively cost effective way to shop, and post it, since I have run into several people who have told me that they don't buy organic because of the expense.
I also avoid eating GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). GMOs are so ubiquitous that Whole Foods in the Chicago Loop said they use GMO canola oil in their deli--according to them all canola oil is from GMO sources.* I will talk about GMOs in another forum, but they have been banned in some other countries, and there is some research linking them to various kinds of diseases.
Another complicity in my protocol is that I also took a blood test for food sensitivities. (The MRT--Mediated Relief Food Sensitivity test) Food sensitivities are different from food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies happen in the tissue. For example, swelling from a bee sting or a rash from strawberries is a reaction in the tissues. Food intolerance occurs in the gut. Gluten or lactose intolerance are examples. Food sensitivities occur in the blood and trigger an immune response and inflammation.
Not rotating foods can lead to food sensitivities, and I have avoided many common foods for six months, and I can now re-introduce them back into my diet one-by-one: Tomatoes, onions, carrots, and a host of others that reacted in my blood. Since I am on a protocol for exhaustion caused by the Adrenal Fatigue and Estrogen Dominance, it is essential for me to avoid these foods that still cause me an immune response.
The protocol includes bio identical progesterone. Before starting the progesterone, I would sleep 10-12 hours or more and wake up feeling "beat-up," aching like I had been kicked all over. This fatigue was occurring on and off again for years. Eventually, I scaled back my life, my schedule, and chose jobs for which I did not have to get up in the morning. My adrenal fatigue had progressed so far that I was no longer even making enough cortisol to wake me up early, and I "didn't do" mornings.
The estrogen dominance was making the Adrenal Fatigue worse and exhausting me as well. (These two conditinos are often linked.) The other two bio identicals in my protocol are Pregnenolone (the "mother" hormone needed to produce other hormones) and a very small dose of DHEA. I have experienced no negative side effects from any of the bio identicals, and of course, these are natural so I don't have to worry about them causing cancer.
Aside from my very specific organic diet, dealing with the food sensitivities, there was an another test I took that has helped me immensely. I took the Metabolic Typing test, which revealed that I needed a certain amount of protein and fat in my diet, as well as carbs from vegetables. Depending on which type a person is (protein, carb, or mixed type) it is essential to balance the ratio of protein, carbs, and fats. In my case, I was so hungry I was eating all day long, I could not get full--until I started eating for my type. When I snack I also stick to this appropriate ratio for my Protein Type. I will do a whole post on Metabolic Typing.
I took Healthexcel's Metabolic Typing Test online as recommended by Kristie, and then received a whole supplemental protocol from Kristie through Ultra Life, Inc.--this company, where I get my vitamins and glandulars, can only be utilized via a holistic/health professional. But aside from the bio identicals and glandulars, I take and multivitamin from Ultra Life--very important to get a high quality one--I will not buy the one's at Whole Foods--there will be list of ingredients to avoid in vitamins in a future blog. I take Glutathione from MaxGL for removing heavy metals, and a pro biotic from Ultra Life.
All in all, although this is a complex protocol based on several tests, I have seen great results. I am now sleeping 10 hours a night (down from 10-12 or more), and still have several more months on the protocol, so I expect to have even more energy then.
A Votre Sante (Here's to your health), Alix
*Tip of the day: Whole Foods sells a great house brand ruffled potato chip--and they are non GMO.
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